


Why I Stayed

by Rozilla



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Asgard, F/M, None of the Hydra stuff has happened yet, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Well, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, old fic, reposting from tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-04-08 04:30:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4290912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozilla/pseuds/Rozilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent Coulson needs some information from Thor and also owes a ex-pat Asgardian a favour.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why I Stayed

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic ages ago and found it when I was transferring a whole bunch of files onto my new machine! I'm kinda proud of it, so I decided I wanted to repost it. So there.

  
Agent Coulson was expecting a call about the Berserker staff, he knew destroying a millennia-old alien artefact wouldn't be easy, but he didn't expect a personal call from Nick Fury.  
Fury explained 'The Sandbox says they can't be sure what'll happen if it's fired into the sun and your guy Randolph has not been very forth coming on how to destroy it. He's says he just was a foot soldier, never told about weapons development. We're pretty sure he's telling the truth.'  
'Pretty sure?' Coulson smiled 'That's not like you.'  
'We ran polygraph tests and the like, but how can we tell whether they work on Asgardians?'  
'So what's the alternative?'  
Fury smiled wanly through the screen and steepled his fingers to his lips 'We're going to need some expert advice.'  
Coulson understood 'You suggesting we call in Thor? How?'  
'We've got a contact, maybe the good Dr. Foster will know where he is.'  
'Will she want to speak to us?'  
'She submitted a report on what happened at Greenwich, along with her data and what was left of the devices she and Dr. Selvig developed, but no word on his Lordship.'  
Coulson sucked at his teeth for a moment 'I can't talk to her,' he pointed out 'as far as she and Thor are concerned, I'm dead.'  
'You might have someone on your team that's personable enough to talk to Dr. Foster,' Fury looked round Coulson through the screen 'Maybe some one who's clearly eavesdropping at the door?'  
'I'm sure Skye would be happy to,' he turned to look at a very sheepish Skye, who stepped out into view.  
'Hi.. um... sir,' she saluted Director Fury, at a loss at what else to do.  
'At ease,' he nodded 'okay, but does she know that this requires some extremely delicate handling?'  
'I'm sure you do, right Skye?' Coulson looked at her, whilst she tried to look as professional as possible.  
'Sure thing, a bit of diplomacy and people skills, no problem,' she smiled, hopefully 'do I get to meet Thor as well?'  
  
Jane's appartment, London.  
9:45 am  
  
Jane sometimes had to remind herself that Thor was really here, that he wasn't gone, she wasn't dreaming and he was currently lying next to her, sleeping more peacefully than he had done in days. It warmed her heart to see him sleep with that smile, the one that marvelled at her passion of science and that spread across his face like the light of a small sun.  
How long can this last? She wondered How long do I have with him?  
It niggled at her, no matter how happy she was. She sometimes hated the way her mind worked, always looking for the weak link or the flaw in something so perfect, but that was what had kept her focused on her work all her life. It was hard for her to just shut her thought processes off and focus on just enjoying the moment, though Thor certainly helped matters by being... well, Thor.  
For someone so strong, so powerful, he knew how to be gentle. Not to mention he some how always knew what to say to make her knees buckle from under her, leaving her giddy and warm to his touch.  
She carefully disentangled herself from the sheets and looked for some clothes to throw on. She stopped when she heard him roll onto his back, apparently still sleeping. When she tried to move again, a hand reached up to rest on gently her thigh, followed by a warm, luxuriant groan 'You cannot leave, not without a kiss to lead me to the world of the waking.'  
'I need to, you can't kiss me until I brushed my teeth,' Jane relaxed and rested her own hand on Thor's forehead, brushing the hair from his eyes 'my mouth tastes like some laid down a carpet on my tongue.'  
'Why should this concern me? Or keep me from taking a kiss?' He propped himself up on his elbow, and took her hand to press his lips to her fingers. She savoured the feeling, appreciating the warm stir it created in her belly.  
'Because if you tried you'd get a mouthful of morning breath,' she sighed 'you don't want that.'  
'I once ate a bilgesnipe heart when dared to by Fandrall,' Thor grinned 'I cannot imagine there is anything else in the Nine Realms that tastes worse.'  
'That's not a risk I'm willing to take,' she retorted, easing herself away 'I'll be back in a moment.'  
'Make haste then,' Thor lay on his side 'but leave the clothes so that I may get a glimpse of your marvellous naked backside as you go by.'  
'Oh my god!' Jane laughed 'You are just... insatiable.'  
'Not that you object.'  
'Of course not,' she dropped the clothes, walked out towards the bathroom and shivered happily at the feeling of his gaze upon her 'not at all.'  
  
The Plane, International air space  
10:25am  
  
'Close Personal Contact huh?' Skye glanced up at the big screen, scrolling through the file S.H.I.E.L.D kept on Thor 'Does that mean what I think it means?'  
'Well, as far as we can tell,' Coulson pulled up the file photo of Jane Foster, a pretty, slim, petite young woman with dark hair and eyes 'Thor only helped us once we assured him that we had relocated her some where safe, just before New York.'  
Skye sighed 'I'm so jealous; she gets to be a super genius and gets a ride on the God of Thunder.'  
'Charming,' Ward retorted.  
'We'd love to meet her,' Simmons grinned 'she's the leading authority on inter-dimensional travel, well, the only authority as far as anyone's aware.'  
'She's even been to Asgard apparently,' Fitz said in awe.  
'Came back with a souvenir to,' Skye flicked back through the tablet to the file picture of Thor.  
'Skye, try to be professional,' Coulson shook his head.  
'Sorry.'  
'Don't Asgardians live a really, really long time?' Asked Fitz reading Thor's stats, scant though they were 'Much longer than we do.'  
'Correct,' said Coulson 'why?'  
'So... won't that impact on a relationship?'  
'Probably.'  
'It's kinda romantic don't you think?' Skye said, with a sad little ache 'an ancient god falling for a mere mortal?'  
'Very Shakespearian,' Ward conceded.  
'Don't they always die at the end?' Skye asked, mildly horrified.  
'Don't we all,' Coulson pointed out 'mostly, in my case, but it's their business, not ours. Anyway, we want to speak to Dr. Foster as an expert in her field, not grill her on her love life, clear?'  
'Crystal,' Skye stretched, 'make the call, I am born ready.'  
'No fangirling,' Simmons warned.  
'I won't,' Skye rolled her eyes 'Have some faith in me! I'm great with people.'  
They all looked at each for a moment, then Coulson indicated the screen 'Ok, Agent Ward?'  
The call was made, the speaker patched through to the desk so that they could all heard the conversation. When it went through to voice mail, Ward tapped out a hack that kept it ringing. After what seemed like an eternity, certainly long enough for Skye to almost forget what she was going to say, the phone finally picked up.  
'Jane Foster speaking,' the voice sounded breathy and more than a little annoyed 'this had better be important.'  
'Uh- Hi, I'm Skye and I'm calling from S.H.I.E.L.D?'  
Skye cursed inwardly, way to sound like a telemarketer.  
'Seriously? S.H.I.E.L.D? I submitted my report over a week ago, I asked not to be bothered.'  
'We know, but something has come up, we recently discovered a piece of potentially dangerous Asgardian technology, a weapon, and since you are listed as a contact for Thor-'  
'What sort of weapon?'  
'A uh... Berserker staff,' Skye waited for a reply, then pressed on 'we have it safe and locked away, we just need to know how to destroy it, we can't let it get into the wrong hands.'  
'I saw the Oslo riots on TV,' Jane shuddered 'was that connected?'  
'Yeah,' Skye bit her lip, not daring to look at her other agents 'I'm sorry to disturb you, we wouldn't be calling unless we had no other option. Do you know where we can find Thor?'  
'Jane? Is something wrong?'  
That voice was unmistakable, not to mention so so sexy it should probably be made illegal.  
'Hang on... call me back in about five minutes okay?'  
When Jane hung up, Skye looked up at Coulson who nodded 'Well done,' he said 'it would seem we have established contact.'  
'I think we may have interrupted something,' Simmons blushed 'no wonder she sounded annoyed.'  
'And took so long to answer the phone,' Skye grinned 'nice work Dr. Foster.'  
'Skye,' Coulson chided 'remember, professional.'  
'Yeah, yeah I know,' Skye raised her eyebrows 'you know he's the God of fertility as well?'  
'I've seen the old Viking statues,' Simmons giggled 'quite impressive.'  
Ward made a gagging noise 'Oh please.'  
'Focus people,' Coulson turned back to Skye 'you want to talk to her again?'  
'Sure, bring it on.'  
Five minutes were up, they rang Dr. Foster again, only this time, the answer was a lot swifter.  
'Hello?'  
'Dr. Foster?'  
'It's best if it came straight from the horses' mouth – stop that – I'll pass you over.'  
Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod Skye felt her stomach drop as the phone was passed over.  
'Hello?'  
'Uh... Hi... um... Am I speaking to Thor?' Skye glanced over to the others, who were wearing varying expressions of shock and surprise, except for Coulson who was holding up a white board with 'Keep it together Skye' written on it in all caps.  
'You are, how may I be of service?'  
Skye repressed the urge to say 'By fighting Captain America shirtless in the mud' and pressed on, keeping her voice as level as she could manage 'We have found a weapon, an Asgardian weapon.'  
'A Berserker staff, Jane told me, she also told me of the madness it caused,' the voice became sad and ashamed 'I was not on Midgard at the time. I regret that it fell into such hands, were any of your people exposed to its effects?'  
Skye hated to tell him, he sounded so pained, it was like kicking a puppy, but he needed to know. 'Two of our Agents,' she didn't dare met Ward's gaze 'they're recovering.'  
'Tell them that I am truly sorry, I have never picked up a staff myself, but I know of its power to shatter the mind.'  
'I'll make sure they know, don't worry.'  
'I also still think of the Son of Coul with fondness, he was a great man, I know he has earned his place amongst the greatest of warriors in Valhalla.'  
Skye looked puzzled, until she looked up at Coulson, who scribbled on the whiteboard 'He means me'.  
'Oh... yeah, I heard about him. He was a great guy.'  
'I was there to witness his murder,' Thor's voice now sounded a little angry and bitter 'a vile act, one that I wish I could have averted.'  
'Well, you did save the world and the entire universe,' Skye smiled 'you've done so much for us.'  
'It was Jane who saved the universe, her devices allowed for Malaketh's defeat, I was merely her foot soldier.'  
He's such a gentleman Skye sighed shame his brother was a psychopath.  
'So, do you know a way of destroying this staff?'  
'Jane said that you shoot dangerous artefacts into the heart of your sun, I believe that should be sufficient.'  
'Thank you, we just wanted to be sure, I'm sorry to disturb you.'  
'No, it is quiet alright, you can rely on my protection and my council should you need it.'  
Marry me please Skye thought, out loud she said 'We... actually have another favour to ask, well, I need to clear it with my superiors first, but... um... we know a guy, another Asgardian actually...'  
  
Hyde Park, London.  
8:15 pm  
  
Elliot Randolph knew London pretty well and it didn't surprise him to note that not that much had changed. The city's streets and routes had remained constant for hundreds of years, that's what he liked about it. It was once pretty ideal for an Asgardian to lay low, now not so much. Too many people with cameras. Portland was really growing on him to, he had a dinner reservation waiting for him there and two tickets to a performance of Saint-Saëns Samson and Delilah. On the other hand, there was no way he'd pass up a chance to speak to the Prince of Asgard, if only to wonder why the hell he'd live here on Mid- Earth.  
He could feel the press of Ward's eyes on him from a distance as he strode through the park, he knew they were keeping their distance, but he was glad they were there. The place was dark, cold at this time of year and lights were coming on in the distance.  
He stopped at the meeting place and spotted him immediately; leaning against a tree and waved to him. He'd seen Thor in full regalia on TV a few times, but even without the hammer, in the garb of Midgard (funny how the dialect creeps back in, even after all these years), the man radiated power. He was tall, broad, long golden hair tied back in a ponytail and you could see the size of his arms even through the jacket. How's he going to try and blend in?  
Thor walked over to him, smiling a little cautiously and held out his hand to shake it 'You must be Elliot?'  
'You must be Thor Odinson,' Elliot shook his hand, noting he didn't do the whole clasping wrists thing, which was a relief 'pleasure to meet you, my liege.'  
'Not here, I am no more royalty than you are.'  
Elliot laughed a little at that 'You look more like a King than I ever will, but hey, if that's okay by you.'  
'Very much so.'  
They started walking alongside, wondering what to say to each other.  
'So... you taking to life here?' Elliot asked.  
'I am, though I have not been here long. We're planning to go back to New Mexico in the not too distant future.'  
'How long are you going to stay?'  
'We' huh? Elliot thought oh I know what's going on.  
'As long as I can, unless anything urgent transpires on Asgard,' Thor looked around for a moment and smiled broadly 'I like it here.'  
'I know right? Pretty nice here, great food, nice culture... great women to.'  
Thor stopped a moment and gave him a rather glowering look 'Your meaning?'  
'I was just wondering why someone would want to give up being a King to come here, I mean, I had nothing to go back to, but you do surely? I wouldn't give it up...Unless there was a woman involved.'  
Thor said nothing.  
'What's her name?' Elliot asked, cautiously.  
'Jane Foster,' Thor said after a while, 'but she is not the only reason I have decided to stay. I did not want to be King, I would rather serve than lead, unless my duty calls me to.'  
Elliot left it at that, but the name rang a bell 'I know her, she's that scientist right? The cute one-'  
Thor's face went wooden.  
'Sorry, that was a bit insensitive,' Elliot looked abashed 'but she is pretty cute.'  
'Beautiful,' Thor corrected 'but beauty is she has by chance, her mind and her brilliance are truly beyond compare.'  
Oh spare me, Elliot thought, but bit his tongue. Aloud he said 'So I take it people have pointed out that she'll have another seventy, eighty years on her if she's lucky?'  
'Many times,' said Thor, coldly.  
'So it doesn't bother you?'  
'It does, but it is something I intend to deal with when the time is right.'  
'Fair enough.'  
Elliot felt as though this conversation was not going well, he had a think for a less controversial topic.  
'Ha, I've been here over a thousand years, give or take and I gotta say... things have improved here a lot. Better technology, better buildings, better medicine... though the food's gone down hill in the last fifty years.'  
'I rather like the food, Shawarma and Pop tarts in particular,' Thor relaxed a little.  
Elliot pulled a face 'Seriously? I'd have thought royalty would have more refined taste.'  
'Clearly not.'  
'Well, buddy, a few more centuries of that stuff and you can kiss your rock hard pecs and abs goodbye,' Elliot chuckled 'trust me, I used to be built like you once, then they developed chocolate and other delightful confectionery and boom, goodbye rippling upper torso. Though I've always been a short-ass.'  
Thor laughed to 'Really?'  
'Oh yeah, there's some dwarf in my heritage I suspect. My great grandmother spent some time in Nidavellir, so it's possible.'  
'I did wonder.'  
'Well you do make anyone short by comparison,' Elliot had to crane his neck to look up at him 'but hey, you're the hero type, you gotta look the part.'  
'Thank you,' Thor clapped him on the back, nearly knocking him forwards 'it is good to speak with you.'  
'Same here.'  
The conversation drifted on for some time, before the two men became aware of a loud coughing nearby. Agent Ward signalled to Elliot, who waved back 'That's my ride,' he turned back to Thor 'I'm living in Portland, Maine, it's a bit of a trek, but if you ever want to visit let me know...'  
He reached in his pocket and handed Thor a business card 'Bring your lady-friend, we'll make a day of it.'  
'I will consider and offer you the same when Jane and I have settled back in New Mexico.'  
'Take care.'  
They did clasp wrists this time, which to his great surprise, Elliot didn't mind one bit.  
  
Jane's appartment, London.  
10:30pm  
  
Jane sat curled up on the sofa, running over last night's satellite data and fighting back a yawn, her eyes slightly straining. She wondered if it was time to call it a night, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. What she needed was a hot bath, maybe a warm drink and then- oh Hell. She wanted to make sure he came back.  
It made her feel more than a little ashamed of herself, being so needy, so taken- but she couldn't help it. She had tried, oh how she tried, for over two years. How could she move on from this guy? If she needed to that is? How could anyone even begin to hold a candle to the closest thing you could get to an actual God?  
Well, maybe she wouldn't have to find out. Who knows?  
She jumped a little when the front door opened, she didn't turn immediately, out of fear and out of a that still, nagging feeling that she was hallucinating all of this; she'd wake up tomorrow and he'd be gone, only this time permanently.  
He walked in, softly, hanging up his coat and standing behind her.  
'Jane? Are you alright?'  
'Yeah.. yeah, how was your date?' She asked as he leant down to wrap an arm around her.  
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head 'He was a rather... odd fellow. He's been here a long time, I would not have distinguished him from a man born of this realm had he not told me.'  
'Gone native,' Jane smiled.  
'Indeed,' Thor let go to walk around and sit next to her on the sofa. She dislodged files and a tablet to give him space and so that he could pull her into a hug that made feel so warm and flushed she almost stopped breathing.  
'There is something wrong is there not?' He asked, a little sadly.  
Jane didn't want to voice it aloud, most of her desperately wanted to just try and enjoy what she had.  
'I... please don't go.'  
She felt a little better for saying it, but Thor looked puzzled 'Why would I go? I've just got here.'  
'It's a bit crazy, all of this, I've tried to be rational about it, but... I can't bare the thought of you leaving me again. I'm sorry... I think I love you.'  
Thor's kiss at her neck made her eyes flutter closed and her breath catch as he whispered in her ear 'You think, but I know. I love you, Jane Foster, please rest at ease that I would never intentionally harm you and that we will find a way.'  
He could be a King, Jane thought, he's born to lead and he could not hide that if he tried, but he is trying to be a good man and he's clearly succeeding.  
'We will,' she repeated, turning round to meet his gaze 'I hope I can give you reasons to stay.'  
'And I hope to be worthy of staying.'  
  
THE END


End file.
